By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 27 pages
of 27
Short form of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Marge used to be as common as Maggie or Megan, ranking on its own in the girls' Top 1000 from 1900 until right after World War II, when so many Old School names fell off the list in favor of a new…
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
Peg is a nostalgic turn-of-the-last-century nickname, sociable but slight. Like near-identical twin Peggy, Peg is in mothballs.
English, feminine variation of Mason
"worker in stone"
Rather than going with a yooneek spelling like Macen (or Maysen or Masyn), we'd suggest sticking with the original Mason, as Kelsey Grammer did for his daughter.
English
"from the meadow"
Sounds like an authentic upper-crust family name -- not necessarily a bad thing.
English, word name or combination of Mary and Lee, or Scottish place-name
Merilee and Merrilee were early respelled or word names, ahead of their time in some ways. Merrilee hit the Top 1000 for a couple of years in the 1940s, but last year no baby girls were given either…
English, combination of Merry and Lynn
All the names ending in-lyn seem sadly dated.
English literary name
Pretty and distinctive choice for poetry lovers.
Scottish, poetic place-name
"the big gap"
In the Ossianic poems written by James Macpherson in the 1760s, Morven is the name of the Fingal's kingdom, Fingal being the hero, likely inspired by Fionn mac Cumhaill of early Gaelic legend. It…
Combination of Nora and Belle
"beautiful light"
Blended name sometimes heard in the early decades of the twentieth century.
English spelling variation of Auberon
"noble, bearlike"
The name of the king of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ; could work just as well for your little sprite.
English from Greek
"song"
Sounds a lot like the recently revived Adele.
English diminutive
This Victorian pen name is the childish version of the novelist's real name, Louisa, but it has managed to gain a sophisticated image. Ouisa is a similar childhood nickname name.
English and French variation of Page
"page, attendant"
This unusual offshoot of Page is one of the undiscovered unique baby names , with lots of energy and charm. Actress Paget Brewster, star of Criminal Minds , presents another spelling possibility. She…
Diminutive of Pamela, English
"all honey"
This mild-mannered short form was Queen of the Prom in the fifties and sixties, but today is mostly heard on TV's The Office (and of course as one of the founders of Nameberry). While about 100 baby…
English flower name from French
"thought"
Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.
English and Cornish variation of Pascale
"Easter"
Updates the old religious day name.
English fruit name
Unlike the other fruit names that are just coming onto the baby name menu, Peaches is an old-timey nickname previously reserved for spangled showgirls, and now would be considered an outrageous --…
"trumpet-shaped flower"
Literary heritage: the "Loony Tunes" girlfriend of Porky Pig. But with the increasing popularity of all kinds of unusual botanical names, Petunia may be a name we start to hear more of.…
"queen"
A bit too close to "quandary" and "queen".
"queen's settlement"
Quirky and cute.
